


Smile

by MemeKonYA



Series: A lifetime of us [5]
Category: Young Avengers
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 21:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6724030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MemeKonYA/pseuds/MemeKonYA
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Billy is smiling at Eli, lips tilted up slightly more to the left, in a quirk that Teddy wishes he could say he hasn’t memorized and obsessed over (how to make it appear, how long can he make it stay). Eli’s smiling back at him, a rare sight. It makes him look younger, softer. Teddy can’t really catch what they’re talking about, only the shape of a stray word here and there, the distinct cadence of Billy’s speech, the overall warmth of his voice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smile

**Author's Note:**

> 'Smile'

Billy is smiling at Eli, lips tilted up slightly more to the left, in a quirk that Teddy wishes he could say he hasn’t memorized and obsessed over (how to make it appear, how long can he make it stay). Eli’s smiling back at him, a rare sight. It makes him look younger, softer. Teddy can’t really catch what they’re talking about, only the shape of a stray word here and there, the distinct cadence of Billy’s speech, the overall warmth of his voice.

“Teddy.”

Teddy startles, eyes drawing away from Billy (the long line of his neck when he throws his head back in joy, and the way he’s all shoulders and legs, and how he can match Eli blow for blow in a battle of wits, telling from their matching smirks and the way they roll their eyes at each other in fondness, or punch each other’s arm all buddy like) and landing on Nate, wearing his Iron Lad suit, except for his helmet, resting on the crook of his arm. It’s never any less amazing to Teddy that something so powerful can make so little noise.

“Nate, hi.” He gives the boy a smile, tries to not flush under the scrutiny of Nate’s dark eyes. He takes easily on Teddy’s cheeks and on his stance, and then looks at where Teddy’s eyes had been up till a few seconds ago. His eyebrows go up for a few seconds, but then a smile is tugging on his lips and he’s shaking his head like Teddy’s particularly funny.

“You’re a goner, Teddy Altman,” he tells him then, claps him heavily on the shoulder, armor impossibly warm and lifelike. 

Teddy ducks his head, shuffles his feet, doesn’t even try to act like he doesn’t know what Nate’s talking about, just gives a shrug.

Nate squeezes his shoulder. It’s a bit harder than anyone else would be able to take without bruising, but even as his vessels break, they heal back, so Teddy is okay with Nate’s rusty affection. 

“Would you believe me if I were to tell you that he looks at you the same way?”

Teddy isn’t a self deprecating guy in general anymore; there are a lot of other things he is, and a lot of things that he recriminates himself for (Greg’s face still assaults his thoughts when he’s happy and unguarded and thinking about other things, his voice a low, unfriendly rumble in Teddy’s memory, going  _ what _ **_else_ ** _ haven’t you told me?  _ and  _ have it your way,  _ **_freak_ ** ), but he isn’t particularly self deprecating nowadays.

He feels it in that moment, however, looking back at Billy, where he’s making big, expansive gestures that have Eli enraptured, and his stomach burns in want and he thinks that Nate must be wrong, because where Billy is  _ everything _ , he’s just--

Billy turns a little just then, and his eyes land on Teddy accidentally. His hands still in mid air and the rest of him seems to freeze for a few seconds too. But no longer than that. One moment he’s still and wide eyed, gaze boring into Teddy’s, and the next he’s on his feet, tripping on his Avengers school bag's strap and only avoiding falling on his face because of Eli’s steadying hand on his arm. 

Billy gives Eli a nod of gratitude and a tiny quirk of lips, and Eli rolls his eyes at him, pushes him forward, and then Billy’s looking back at Teddy again, walking a few steps towards him, chancing a tiny wave and then grimacing and putting his hands on his front pockets. 

The smile he gives Teddy once he’s close enough to let out a soft, quiet, almost intimate  _ hi _ is one that he hasn’t seen much of, one that he hoards inside of himself with overzealousy, one that he keeps in a tiny frame inside of him to pull out whenever he’s feeling bad about anything. 

“See?” Nate tells him then, and Teddy had forgotten him, his hand pressing on his shoulder. 

Billy blinks a couple of times in Nate’s direction, as if he was just noticing his presence, and he stutters out an  _ oh, hey, hi Nate _ that’s higher and louder and every bit as cute as everything else Billy ever does (even when he’s getting a little on his nerves) and it makes Teddy’s insides flutter and curl and twitch.

All he can think as Eli walks up to them, already talking about their training schedule, is  _ you’re a goner, Teddy Altman. _

**Author's Note:**

> [ Come and hang out with me on tumblr!](http://memekon.tumblr.com)


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